Swimming-apparatus



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

G.O.BUNSEN. SWIMMING APPARATUS.

arm-516,963., =Pbit-entdMarl QO;r1894;

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Shaet 2. G. G. BUNSEN.

SWIMMING APPARATUS.

No. 516,963. Patented Ma'r. -;2-0,--1894.

1115 NATIONAL LITNOGRAPHING COMPANY.

WASHINGTON. n. c.

.nately upon such opening and closing.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE O. BUNSEN, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

SWIMMING APPARATUS.-

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 516,963, dated March20, 1894.

Application filed August 24. 1893. Serial No. 483,957. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE C. BUNsEN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State ofWisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in SwimmingApparains; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,and exact description of the invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and'use the same.

My invention relates. to improvements in swimming apparatusforpro'pelling the bodies of both men and animals through the water andits principal object is to provide an improved device that can bereadily attached to the person or animal using it and which will openand close alternately according to the direction of its movement andthus offer greater or less resistance to the water alter- Iaccomplishthis object by the construction and combination of devices ashereinafter more particularly set forth anddescribed in detail.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification,Figures 1. and 1 represent side elevations of devices embodying myinvention attached to the arm of a swimmer and held by his hand. Fig. 2.represents a. rear elevation of said devices showing them attached to aswimmers leg. Fig. 3. represents a central vertical section of thedevice which is to befgrasped by the hand. Fig. 4 represents a detailperspective view of a conical or tapering grooved core forming a part ofmy invention. Fig. 5.represents a cross section of the same on the linew-:c of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 represents a perspective view of the coreprovided with ribs forming part of my invention. Fig. 7 represents aplan View of part of a flexible covering used in connection with saidcore. Fig. 8 represents a plan view of a covering for the handle of thedevice. Fig. 9 represents a plan view of a piece employed for connectingthe core to the covering of said ribs. Fig. 10 represents acentralvertical section of the complete propeller without its attaching devicesFig. 11 represents in detail perspective the mode of attaching the ribsto a single covering. Fig. 12 represents in perspective a modified formof the frame work, of the device for the arm.

in perspective a modified form of the device for the leg. Figs. 14. and14 represent modified forms of leg propellers with leggins and straps,partly in vertical section and partly in side elevation. Fig. 15represents a bottom with its arm casing and straps. Fig. 16 represents aside elevation of my propeller as applied to the right fore leg of ahorse. Fig. 17 represents the same as applied to the back left leg of ahorse and Fig. 18- represents a rear elevation of the propeller used forhorses with its fastening straps.

The opening and closing propeller represented in the drawings when it isto be attached to the arms and legs, is formed principally of a flexibleframework covered with a web of some flexible material which assumes,when open, the form of a hollow cone. This framework is composed of ribsB of some flexible material such as Indian reed, tough wood or steel.These ribs are mounted on a conical or tapering core A which is providedwith grooves a. lined with putty, wax,whitelead or other similarmaterial into which said ribs are pressed and secured thus making awater and air tight joint at this point. The middle portion of said ribswhere they are attached to said core is cut away or thinned as at b. tomake them more flexible at this point where great flexibility isrequired because of the opening and closing action of the propeller. Theouter end of each rib is provided with a tip I) which consists of asmall section of rubber tubing slipped upon it to keep itfrom cuttingthe covering 0 which surrounds it. This covering consists of two piecesof sail cloth or like material, cut as shown in Fig. 7 and stitchedtogether at their peripheries. Between said pieces 0 is secured bystitching c. the cord 0' which limits the opening of the conicalpropeller when the device is in use. A piece D of material similar tothat of part 0 is cut as shown in Fig. Sand has its periphery d. d.shown on the line e. e. of one of the parts 0 while a piece E has itsperiphery e ve shown on a similar line of the other parfiO. The twoparts 0. O. are stitched together as at f. f. Fig. 7. to form channelsto receive the ribs B. When the ribs are in place the part E. isattached to the top of the tapering core Fig. 13 represents A by a screwf and forms a water and air View of the modified form of arm propellertight joint at this point, the edges g. g. and h. h. having been firstsewed respectively together. The part D. is then wrapped around thelower ends of the ribs Band fastened thus forming a handle F. The outerends of the ribs B are secured by wire or otherwise to the cord 0. Thecompleted propeller as shown in Fig. 10 is then attached to a sleeve Iprovided with fastening straps z'. for the arm or to a leggin J havingfastening straps j. for the le The leggin J. is also provided with astirrup strap j which passes under the instep of the foot and thus keepsthe propeller from slipping up the leg when 1n use.

Sometimes I use a single piece 0' when lightness is required, attachingthe ribs thereto by means of strips 0 as shown 1n Fig. 11, the cord 0then being inclosed in a hem on the periphery of parts C. By thisconstruction of the web covering the ribs, the propeller is made aboutone third lighter which would be very desirable in some propellers suchas are used in races for instance. The propeller to be grasped by thehand is constructed in a slightly different manner, see Fig. 3. In thiscase the ribs 9 are made of some stifier material and connected to thecore H by flexible strips g of rubber belting or the like thus allowingthe propeller to open and close as before. The ribs are made fiat andleave their ends riveted in a hem of the web covering G which is outsimilar in shape to part 0 and has a piece Gr simllar to part D sewed toit. The ribs do not form the handle as in the former case but are cutoff short before reaching the core to which they are flexibly connected.The grasplng handle is formed by a prolongation of the core H, and isprovided with a cord to he slipped over the wrist and thus prevent theswimmer from losing the propeller as he lets go of the handle to use hishands.

The modified form of arm propeller shown in Fig. 12. has a fiat core Kprovided with grooves 10. into which the flexible ribs are fastened, thelatter being first cut away or thinned if metal as at b? to make themmore flexible also to make them form an even surface with the core whenset in the groove thereof. The coverings C and D are then put on as inthe first instance and the sleeve I and straps 1'. attached thereto.This form of arm propeller is very light and can readily be supportedbecause of the fiat sides of the core which rest against the arm.

The form of leg propeller shown in Figs. 13 and 14.: have no core andconsequently is very light and convenient. All the ribs except two arecut off short and all are cut as at bf. Fig. 13 to make them moreflexible at this point. The two ribs that are not cut short form thehandle which is covered with a casing F which in turn is attached to thele gin J as before described. Either the style of covering shown in Fig.or that shown in Fig. 11 may be used in this case and 1n the ward as faras he pleases.

fiat cored arm propeller, to cover the ribs, as preferred.

In Figs. 16 and 17 the propeller is shown as attached to a horses legalthough it might be a dogs or any other swimming animal. When used on ahorse the propeller is attached to the outside of each leg below theknee joint so that the respective legs will not interfere with eachother when swimming or walking. The device for this attachment consistsof a stid piece L of leather or similar material which has raised uponit a ridge Z adapted to fit into the longitudinal cavity of the lowerpart of a horses leg. An aperture Z is cut in the part L to fit over thehoof joint and the whole is attached by straps m. The propeller isattached to the outside of this part L., the latter by its peculiarconstruction being incapable of turning on the animals leg so as tointerfere with the opposite leg.

All the joints of the conical propellers must be made water and airtight as the swimmer is often obliged to rest by supporting himself withair confined within said propellers by holding them with the handlesvertically up.

The operation of the propellers is as follows: Upon a forward motion ofthe arms or legs, the propellers all close because of the waterresistance and the unrestrained flexibility of the ribs in thatdirection, but upon a reverse movement they all immediately open theirfull extent, oifering great resistance to the water and forcing theswimmer forward rapidly. The movement is then repeated with the sameresult as before. If the swimmer wishes to dive he turns the handles ofthe hand propellers down and gives them an upward thrust which startsthe diving movement. He can then swim down- When he wishes to come tothe surface he can simply reverse the hand propellers and thus alter thedirection of his movement which will bring him up at once. Thesepropellers can of course be attached directly to swimming or divingsuits and thus do away with the sleeves and leggins. The propellers arealso found very useful as life preservers as with two of the handpropellers a person can keep himself afloat for an indefinite time bysimply inverting them and pressing them down upon the waters surface.The air confined within them will keep the person up. This supply of airmay be renewed by alternately lifting them and setting them down againupon the surface. By the use of these propellers a swimmer can swim veryrapidly and for great distances as the ease with which he forces himselfforward and keeps afloat does not tire him. Treading water or standingupright in the water becomes very easy.

The material to be used for the ribs may be flexible reed, as beforementioned, or other tough and elastic, wood, and in some cases,

IIO

where great strength is required, may be of steel or other flexiblemetal.

As shown in Fig. 14* I have two propellers attached to a leggin in suchmanner that when adjusted to the wearer they will rest upon the front ofthe leg and so be capable of opening whether the swimmer strikes outwith his legs, either diagonally to the right or left. The stirrup inthis instance is attached to the bottom of the two inside ribs of thelower propeller. The upper propeller has all its ribs cut off short,thus leaving no extending ribs to form a handle as is the case with thelower propeller. Two small propellers will open'much quicker than onelarge one, and in some cases this form is much to be preferred.

In Fig. l I show the propeller as attached to the side of the arm withits sleeve extending above the elbow where it is provided with a strap.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-.

1. A swimming propeller composed of flexible ribs bound together to forman attaching portion and a web covering for said ribs, substantiallyasset forth. I

2. A swimming propeller composed of flexi ble ribs, a core upon whichsaid ribs are mount- 3 0 taching portion and having a web covering andsuitable devices for attaching the same to the arm or leg, substantiallyas set forth.

4. In a swimming propeller thecombination of flexible ribs, a core towhich said ribs are attached, a web covering for said ribs and devicesfor attaching the whole to the wearer, substantially as set forth.

5. In a swimming propeller thecombination of flexible ribs having a webcovering a leggin attached to the same and provided with a stirrupstrap, substantially as set forth.

6. In a swimming propeller the combination of flexible ribs having a webcovering a core upon which said ribs are mounted, said core having aprolongation forming a handle, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

, GEORGE O. BUNSEN.

' Witnesses:

HERMANN HEYN, A. O. HARTMAN.

